Muttt

I've been married twenty years. It's actually kinda simple. 1. She don't like the stuff you like to do. So, she is never going to be interested in any cost involved with any of those hobbies. 2. She don't like the mess that your stuff leaves around the place. Which goes back to point #1. 3. It's always easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission. If you drag this out and turn it into a fight, it will just kill and enjoyment and will turn your hobby into an issue. If you continue to do what you are doing now, it is simply going to turn your hobbie and the clutter into an issue. If you just build what you need when she aint home, and put all your stuff neatly away and get it out of her areas, you will see that "wow, it looks so much better" and bitch a little bit about the money you spent. A week from now, you will be doing what you want to be doing and she will have forgotten all about the "extra money" your hobby costed and be happy that the yard looks so much better. Plus, if you every happen to get good enough to make some stuff you can sell, she'll be even happier with the money. It comes down to this. Your hobby, your house, the money and the areas belong to both of you. You can't take ownership of an area. And, "ONE" of you can't always be in control. Share and share alike. If she knits or something like that, don't bitch about her stuff either. Compromise. Either way, if you just do it ....... she'll forget about it long before we see one of your knew projects made in your new space posted on here ..... LOL. The risk is up to you. Mutt

I wouldnt think so. I don't think you'll get a sword out of it ...... LOL. But, if you were to weld a tang onto it, you would be able to make a nice little three finger knife with it. Weld on a tang and do a hidden tang design. It's worth a shot anyway. If you don't try, it will never be anything but a scrap of metal. Mutt

Frankly it's all xxxxxxxx. Going after the guns, ammo and now knives. Keep the masses stupid and unarmed. Then you can infringe on any and all of thier rights, and there is nothing you can do about it. Mutt

I am knew to this, but what scale I do get, usually comes right off with the first smack. I guess the law of averages ensures that at some point I am gonna end up with scale sticking outta my project when all finished. But, what I do know is that if you are trying to forge weld, you deffinitely need to get off the scale. It makes welding a living hell if you don't get it off. Mutt

I guess I am lucky here. I live in Bremerton. We have a ship yard here. They scrap old ships and submarines. There is also a scrap yard that is really close that gets truck loads of scrap from the ship yard. There is always tons of cable and huge pieces of high grade steel available. They let you walk around and look all day, as long as you stay out of the loaders way. I have gone there enough that they know me now. I can go in and trade stuff I can't use for pieces of scrap that I can use. Really nice place people friendly. Mutt

Same here ..... I hate the smell of burning automotive oils. I use peanut oil in my rock saw. So, since it works nice for cutting rock and I happen to have a surplus of peanut oil on hand, I have used it on several projects I recently finished. It has a very high flash point and has not even come close to flame up when quenching red hot metal. And, the fumes from the process are actually pleasant smelling. Plus, it's only like 8 bucks for a gallon at Walmart. Mutt

My buddy bought this thing for balancing a lawnmower blade. It is really simple. Excuse my picture, I know it is crude. The red part is the lawn mower blade. The blue part is a washer like thing with a pin that goes through the bolt hole in the blade. The black lower piece is a a metal cone. The blue piece has a small dimple drilled into the bottom. The pointy tip of the cone sits in the dimple under the blue washer thingie. Then you just set the blade on the washer and the washer on the cone. The blade will not only show balance from end to end but also from side to side. It's amazingly simple but perfect for determining proper balance of any blade really. As long as it has a center hole, you can check balance with this thing. I'm sure it would be so easy to make. Mutt

OK, Does the little thingie on the end hold the handle tight onto the blade?? If so ..... how did ya make it? I have an idea to weld a nut onto the end of the tang and use a small allen bolt to tighten it all together. Does your's work something like that? Mutt

The ring could have been used for a rope or chain? I just watched the movie "300" again ........ and was thinking combat. Roman Ninja throwing/retrievable thing?? Maybe not ...... LOL. I do like the way it came out. You know it looks good when it can go without a handle and look great. It would look great with a rawhide wrap with a reverse baseball stitch. Mutt

To xxxx with the neighbors. Maybe they will get sick of the noise and move. Problem solved ...... LOL. Mutt

Beautiful knives. Great pattern. What did you use to grind your bevels?? Mutt

I used to work at Home Depot. They have some very beautiful marble tiles for fairly cheap (per tile anyway). You can buy them one at a time. You can even go through thier pile and find a broken one and ask them for a 75 percent discount. Should be enough in a broken tile for at least one knife. Mutt

Thanks for all the suggestions. Mutt